


Reflection

by taljpg



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Consent is Sexy, Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Drowning, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Gentle, Gentle Kissing, M/M, Water Sex, inbetween, memory problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:21:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29460438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taljpg/pseuds/taljpg
Summary: Karl is back in the Inbetween, but finds himself at a reflection pool. After requesting to remember, he's given somebody familiar, but he can't quite place it. All he knows is that this man is claiming to be able to help him.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 7
Kudos: 237





	Reflection

It was weird to find a new room in the Inbetween.

He was usually walking around the castle quietly, in search of answers to his seemingly never ending stream of unanswered questions, but this time, he came upon a reflecting pool. 

He approached carefully, tugging on the sleeves of his sweater and approached carefully. He never quite knew what to expect here, but he did know to take everything slowly and carefully. Something new could be around an untraveled corner and he could have missed it if he wasn’t careful.

He peered over the edge and stared at his tired, unkempt reflection and tried his best to remain calm as he peered over the lip and into the shallow water of what essentially an empty, shallow koi pond. He searched his own reflection, hoping that maybe the watery version of himself would draw out any answers from the new location, but was disappointed when he was only met with his own face looking back at him.

He pulled his attention away from the water and looked at the room a little more closely, only a little frustrated that he wasn’t being given anything.

The surrounding walls were white and lit only by a few dim lights. He found it incredible that so few things spawned in this location, considering how dim it was, but this castle seemed to just _loved_ being moody and dramatic.

As dramatic as the walls were, Karl still yielded no answers from them.

“If you have something to say, just tell me!” He called to the building, his words echoing off glass and rickashaying from wall to wall. “I’m so tired of this. Please just give me _something_!”

His words were met with silence and he closed his eyes, sitting down in front of the water and the rippling reflection of the lifeless glass and end rods on its surface. He scanned the room once more for any possible answers, but he didn’t see anything. Not even a book.

He sat in silence, focused on the sound of the water sloshing against the sides of the pool. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the still water, deciding to try and piece some of his scattered “memories” together. To be honest, reality and the past were blurring together into some kind of Twilight Zone style fever dream and he was seriously struggling to remember who fit in what timeline, what was real, and what was a dream. It had only been getting worse since his travels became more and more frequent.

“I just want to remember,” he said quietly, not expecting much to come out of it.

As the words left his lips, a gentile series of chimes echoed against the glass. _D, C, F, A_ he noted to himself, listening as the chime slowly stopped resonating off the glass around him and a soft, white glow started to radiate from inside the pool.

He hesitated for a moment, looking around him to make sure that he wasn’t missing something else in the room, but his attention was drawn to the dim glow of the water in front of him. It was clear the water wanted him to do something, but it was still unclear. 

Hesitantly, he peered over the edge and saw his light illuminated face the same as it was before and nothing else. Clearly what wasn’t right. 

He tried tossing a loose string from his sweater into the water where it floated peacefully, almost taunting him with how little it did to clarify what he was supposed to do.

Finally, he reached out and carefully couched the water, now realizing how comfortably warm it was, and gentle chime rang through the tall ceilings of the rooms. He pulled his hand away, just to clarify, and the chiming stopped. Hesitantly, he returned a finger to the water and the structure seemed to reward his actions with another gentle chime.

“Ah ha,” he said quietly, chewing on his bottom lip as he realized what he was supposed to be doing.

After a moment’s consideration, he began to pull off the minimalistically colored clothes the Inbetween had put him in upon his arrival. If he was supposed to be going into the water, he wasn’t about to go in with all his clothes on. Besides, it would be nice to soak for a bit.

Karl carefully tugged his socks off and, now only in his boxers and with a few sentimental bracelets (sentiments he couldn’t quite recall) decorating his wrist. Slowly, he stepped into the water and listened to the chimes as they seemed to reward the action.

He slowly eased into the warm water of the pool, a shaky sigh leaving his lips as the warm water wrapped him in a comfortable embrace. He closed his eyes and allowed his tense muscles to relax in the water, his creaking joints yawning as he stretched them out in the water. It was nice. 

Suspiciously nice, if he was being honest.

He soon felt something on his face and his eyes snapped open to meet a dark brown set staring back at him. Karl scrambled away from the touch and looked at the stranger suspiciously. Nobody else was supposed to be here.

“Who are you?” Karl asked carefully, eying the man carefully and trying to see how this was possible.

The stranger was hip deep in the water and staring back at him, some small scars peppering his exposed chest and going all the way down to his-

Oh jeez.

The stranger tilted his head, black hair falling in his face and almost looking hurt by the words.

“Karl,” the man spoke, his words sending a shiver down Karl’s spine for some unknown reason. “You requested to remember. The Inbetween made me come here to help you.”

Ah. There it was.

Karl really was alone here. The Inbetween was trying to help him for some reason. This seemed like a really odd way to go about it, but Karl had no idea what this place was capable of.

Karl sighed heavily and looked back up at the man, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. The brown eyes stared back at him with so much warmth that his heart ached, the lopsided grin made his stomach do flips in his abdomen, and even the silhouette of the man made him want to hold him.

But he still had no idea who he was. James? No, that couldn’t be right. Mason? No, that wasn’t right either. Dream? No, Dream he remembered. This person was alluding him though.

“I’m sorry,” Karl said carefully, placing his hands over his chest to cover himself slightly. “I don’t know who you are. I remember liking you. But… I’ve met so many people and they’re all running together. I’m so sorry.”

The stranger offered the other man a sad smile and reached out once more, water dripping from his hands and wetting Karl’s face as contact was made once more.

“I know,” he spoke carefully, a sympathetic smile on his face and his thumb rubbing Karl’s cheek in a familiar way. “I can’t tell you, since you have to remember on your own here, but I can try and help remind you if you want.”

Karl looked over the other man carefully and felt his heart flutter. The longer he looked, the more he started to take in the fact that this man was truly beautiful. Toe to tip, this man was built like some kind of mythic hero: strong arms, Greek nose, and kind features that made something in Karl’s brain scream to trust him.

Somewhere deep down, though he couldn’t quite place who he was, knew that he would be safe with him.

“Okay,” Karl agreed carefully, removing his hands from his chest and letting them sink into the water. “I’d like to remember, please.”

The stranger smiled warmly and him and leaned in carefully, waiting for a moment before closing the distance.

“We kiss a lot,” the stranger explained carefully, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Karl’s cheek and pulling away to check on him. “You told me it was your favorite thing we did at one point. Are you okay if we kiss?”

The skin on his cheek that the other man kissed was tingly and hot and Karl was sure that his face was bright red. The feeling was familiar, but the butterflies in his stomach informed him that this was still something that made him nervous.

“We can kiss,” Karl agreed carefully, leaning in a connection with the man. The feeling was like dropping a match into a can of gasoline: explosive, dangerous, and right. Their lips fit perfectly, flawlessly together and Karl’s hands rested on the other man’s shoulders. The man was right. He did like this.

Slowly, their mouths opened for each other and the kiss deepened into one that meant a little more. Nothing hot and heavy, but it was deeper, warmer, and it meant more.

A memory flashed in Karl’s mind for a fraction of a second as the kiss continued and he felt his hands wrap around waist. A small gasp left his lips and he pulled away nervously.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I’m just… I wasn’t expecting--.”

The other man chuckled quietly and ran his fingers through his wet hair, stopping the other man before he could even have a chance to finish his thought. 

“You’re totally fine,” he said gently, clearly not upset. “You’re ticklish there. I forgot. Did you want to keep going?”

Another memory flashed in Karl’s mind, something that almost looked like sheets and being pressed against a sleeping man, but it left almost as fast as it came. 

Clearly, it was working. 

“Yes please,” Karl said carefully, swallowing any worries he was having and deciding to fully trust the man holding him. “I think it’s working.”

The man smiled and moved to sit beside Karl before pulling him into his lap. Karl was already a bit taller than the man, but the stranger made up for it in his actions. Karl leaned in and they continued to kiss, now allowing his hands to rest comfortably on the stranger’s chest.

This continues for a few minutes and Karl slowly became aware of a _growing_ problem. 

Apparently, the stranger did too. 

“Sometimes you’d let me help you with that, too,” he said slowly, scanning Karl’s eyes for any kind of discomfort from the man in his lap. “Can I help?”

Karl hesitated for a moment, squirming slightly and trying to gauge his body’s natural reaction to his. As expected, his first instinct was to hide, but another more prevalent emotion was trust. Love. Respect.

Karl nodded and watched as the other man reached around him to take off the only remaining article of clothing on him. Karl raised his hips and nearly lost his balance, only to be caught by the other man, who’s ringing laughter echoes on the walls and rattles around in his brain. His heart fluttered at seeing the stranger smile. It was kind.

How could he forget a smile like this?

“Doing okay there?” The stranger asked, still giggling a bit as he situated Karl in his lap again now that they were equally nude. “You almost took a dip there.”

Karl laughed at himself awkwardly and squirmed in the man’s lap. 

“Just a fun thing I like to do,” he joked, relaxing back into the man’s hold. “Y’know. Drowning. Fun stuff.”

The two shared some laughter, each drinking in the other’s warm as they sat intertwined. The laughter eventually died down and the stranger’s hand wandered to Karl’s abdomen, eventually sinking further and stroking lightly.

“Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” The man reiterated, a phrase that was familiar in Karl’s ears. “I won’t be upset.”

Karl nodded and let his forehead rest in the crook of the stranger’s neck, feeling a shudder travel through his body as the man seemed to move in just the right ways.

Every touch was starting to feel familiar as they continued. Karl instinctually reached down and began to touch the man who was doing so much for him. The stranger hissed in pleasure and swallowed hard as he tried to maintain his composure.

“Jeez, Jacobs,” the man whispered, adjusting so their lengths were pressed against each other and being touched in tandem. “Can’t you just let me take care of you?”

“I can’t let you do all the work,” Karl said instinctually, a weak sigh escaping his lips as he finished the first part of his thought. “It feels better when we both do something.”

The stranger chuckled breathily and pressed a gentle kiss under Karl’s jaw.

“Pretty boy,” the stranger muttered, giving Karl a few flashes of memories. They included holding hands, kissing, and even more intimate things with this stranger. He was starting to remember. It was still fuzzy, but at least he knew he wasn’t being tricked into doing lewd things. He shuttered and moaned quietly.

“Call me that again,” he requested. “Please. I like it when you call me that.”

The man beneath him smiled and peppered his neck with more kisses, calling him the affectionate nickname after every kiss. Every single one.

Eventually, the man pulled away to look at the panting and still unfinished Karl in his lap.

“We do other things too,” he said slowly. “We trade who does what, but…”

Karl smiled a bit and lifted his hips slightly.

“I think I know what you mean,” he said, preparing to stick his fingers in his mouth to coat them. “Could you do things to me, please?”

The stranger stopped Karl from wetting his own fingers by holding out his own.

“Let me,” he offered. “I was made to help you, so let me.”

Karl nodded and slowly started to coat the other man’s fingers with his own saliva. As nice as doing it in the water was, water was the antithesis of proper preparation. 

After some time of indulging himself on the man’s fingers, he let the man pull them out and Karl adjusted to that the man would have the access he needed.

“Tell me if you need me to stop,” the man elaborated yet again. “We can stop whenever you need to.”

Karl couldn’t help but snort at the man’s caution.

“Are you always this careful with me?” Karl questioned. The stranger looked at him and his eyes softened with affection.

God Karl loved him. If only he could remember

“Always,” The man repeated, a smile on his face. “We always do this stuff carefully.” 

Karl nodded in understanding and felt a finger press against his rim slowly, raising his hips a bit more to make it easier for the other man. Slowly, he felt a finger slide in and a low moan bubbled past his lips.

It felt good. It felt familiar. It felt right. Everything about this man was warm and familiar and Karl was drinking it in.

After some time with one, the stranger pressed a second in and, after some more time, a third.

They played like this for some time before Karl felt prepared for what he knew came next. 

“Please,” Karl whispered. “I’m ready.”

The stranger nodded and made his fingers leave the now fully prepared man. The two spent a moment trying to get in the right position for the next phase and the stranger looked up at Karl with love in his eyes.

“I’m going to let you control it,” he clarified. “It’s your memory.”

Karl nodded slowly and carefully reached behind him to align the stranger’s length with his entrance. He felt the head press against him and his body eagerly accepted the forgin object inside of him, slow and steady.

He only whimpered a few times before fully sheathing the length inside of him.

He felt the other man twitch inside of him and he snickered.

“Miss this?” Karl teased, breaking the intimate moment with a bit of humor. “I know I did.”

The stranger smiled happily and buzzed his lips a bit, obviously feeling just as good as Karl.

“Very much, baby,” the stranger responded, rolling his hips into Karl momentarily. “We don’t do this often, so it’s always nice when we do.”

Karl saw a few more flashes of memory pass behind his eyes and smiled happily. He was doing something right. The memories were coming back. 

“Just gimme a sec,” Karl said. “I’m still adjusting.”

The stranger nodded and, after some time, Karl slowly began to roll his hips on the other man. He felt hands migrate to his hips and he saw the man’s face twist into one of immense pleasure. Karl continued to roll his hips and, eventually, he started to rise and fall on the other’s length, adjusting every now and then to find just the right spot.

Eventually, he found the collection of nerves and he shuddered, a moan echoing against the walls as he let his arms wrap around the other man’s neck. 

“God, you’re good,” the man muttered, his hands gently guiding Karl’s bouncing and creating small waves in the pool. “Keep going baby.”

Karl nodded and continued his steady movements, shuddering every time that bundle of nerves was pressed by the stranger’s length.

It didn’t take too long before he was approaching his limit, his riding becoming less rhythmic and more just trying to get as much of the other man in him as possible. 

“I’m close,” the other man groaned in Karl’s ear, not doing much better than Karl himself. “Where do you want it?”

Karl panted gently and tried to formulate a thought, but by that point, it was already too late. With a few more groans, the stranger grasped Karl’s length and began to stroke it quickly. With a few more thrusts, the stranger was released inside of Karl and Karl was quickly approaching his own climax with the other man’s assistance. 

He felt the familiar warm tension in his stomach and, before he knew it, he was releasing in the other man’s hand.

Suddenly, all the memories came back. Kissing in the park, building pillow forts in the living room, kicking the other man out of the kitchen when he was making dinner because he kept stealing bites of things before they were ready. Everything. Every last detail.

This was his lover. His partner. His boyfriend. His Sapnap.

“Sapnap!” Karl cried, the name passing his lips naturally as he twitched all over and clung to the other man. “God Sapnap, you’re so good, oh my God!”

The two finished riding out their individual orgasm’s, collapsing on each other and basking in the glow of the other. After some time, Karl raised his head and offered a bright smile to the other man.

“I remembered,” he whispered in his lover’s ear. “How could I have forgotten you. I’m so sorry I’ll never do it again.”

The Inbetween’s version of his lover laughed happily and held Karl close.

“I knew you could do it,” Sapnap said gently. “My pretty boy, I knew you could.”

This version of Sapnap pulled Karl into another sweet kiss before slowly pulling out of the other man. 

They stayed intertwined for a good time, Mostly so Karl could recover, but also because he wanted to be held by his lover for as long as he could. He didn’t know where he’d come back, so he was going to sit in this warmth for as long as he could.

“Are you ready to go back?” his lover asked carefully, pulling back and looking at Karl carefully. “Just trust me and I can get you back.”

Karl’s eyebrows furrowed and he nodded slowly.

“I’ll miss you,” he said carefully. “I don’t know when I’m going to see you again.”

Inbetween Sapnap chuckled and ran a gentle hand against the boy’s face before pressing a small kis to his lips one last time.

“I won’t be far,” he promised, lifting Karl up into a standing position and placing his hands on the taller man’s shoulders. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

Karl hesitated for a moment but, after looking around once more, took a deep breath and smiled at his lover. 

“Ready.”

Sapnap hesitated for a moment but, after one last loving look, he pushed Karl under the water hard, sending Karl back to his regular life.

Karl woke with a start and frantically looked around to see where he was. He was in his room, surrounded by little trinkets, bits, and bobs that had always captured his interest. He heard a sleepy groan beside him and he looked beside him and saw a sight that instantly calmed him. 

Sapnap was asleep beside him, hair in his face and shirtless as he always was when they went to bed. Karl looked at his lover for a moment before slowly lowering himself back onto his bed and snuggling into his lover’s arms, which happily accepted him and held him tight. Slowly, he let sleep consume him as was held by his partner.

No being thrown into any timelines this go around. 

Peace.

Karl was glad he woke up and remembered.

**Author's Note:**

> Oneshots aren't usually my thing, but I got hit with some sudden inspiration out of nowhere. Also doing this to get some practice in for my main fic that I'm working on at 3 am so forgive me if this makes no sense. :) Hope you enjoyed!


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